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The worst January signing of all time? Fans have their say

Date published: Sunday 5th February 2017 2:43

A fans poll have voted on who is the worst signing to be made by a Premier League club during a January transfer window.

​The madness is over for another five months. 11pm on January 31 brought the curtain down on yet another transfer window and, in comparison to past iterations, the 2016/17 winter window was something of a damp squib.

That may prove to be a blessing in disguise, though, given how many players have flopped at new clubs following a mid-season move. Thanks to the votes of 90min readers, we now know which January signing is considered to be the worst in Premier League history.

Without a single shocked expression amongst us, Fernando Torres’ ridiculous £50m move from Liverpool to Chelsea was crowned the worst January EPL signing of all-time. Which isn’t surprising, given how terrible he was after that switch.

The Spain international became a laughing stock after he notched just 45 goals in 172 appearances for the Londoners, and his profligacy in front of goal had rival football fans bent over in pain due to the laughing fits they were constantly subjected to.

Torres admitted that he hadn’t justified the astronomical price tag back in October 2013, and the mammoth fee clearly weighed heavy on his mind during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

In somewhat of a coincidence, Torres’ replacement at Anfield came second in our poll. That’s right, none other than £35m January signing Andy Carroll was voted as your second choice for worst winter window signing.

The ex-Newcastle striker joined the Reds on deadline day after Torres completed his move away from Liverpool and, much like the Spaniard, Carroll flattered to deceive during his 18-month career following his 2011 move.

His injury-hit spell on Merseyside saw Carroll register a paltry 11 strikes in 58 appearances, and he was shipped off on loan to West Ham in August 2012 much to the relief of Liverpool supporters across the globe.

With the two biggest disasters out of the way, attentions now turn to the remaining pack.

Christopher Samba and Konstantinos Mitroglou may be someway off the pace of the previous pair, but the duo tied for third after their subsequent switches to Queens Park Rangers and Fulham respectively.

Samba had been a revelation during his time at Blackburn before he turned his back on them to chase the rich wages on offer in Russia. Upon his return to England’s top flight, though, he was shown up time and again by the Premier League’s top strikers. He played just 10 times for the Londoners before rejoining Anzhi Makhachkala six months later for £9m.

Mitroglou, meanwhile, was seen as Fulham’s saviour as they battled to beat the drop in 2013/14. The £12m Greece international, however, turned out on just three occasions after he picked up a knee injury days after joining the Cottagers, and was powerless to save the Londoners from relegation to the Championship. He was sent out on loan just six months after completing his permanent switch from Olympiakos.

Two final blasts from the past now, with former Newcastle defender Jean-Alain Boumsong and West Ham forward Savio Nsereko bringing up the rear in our poll. Boumsong was arguably the more ‘successful’ of the two after making 58 appearances over 18 months at St.James’ Park, but the ex-Rangers man was unable to cope with the pace of the Premier League and found himself shipped off to Juventus for £3m in August 2006.

Nsereko, meanwhile, lasted just six months at Upton Park back in 2009 – the right winger making 11 appearances before heading back to Italy with Fiorentina for £5m in August of that year. His nomadic career since shows the Hammers did the right thing is dispensing with him.